United Methodist Church to split into separate conservative and liberal denominations
The United Methodist Church is planning to split over the issue of same-sex marriage and gay clergy, church officials said Friday.
Month: January 2020
More than 200 members of Congress ask Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade in latest abortion case
More than 200 members of Congress asked the Supreme Court to consider overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, when it takes up a major abortion case this spring.
Trump admin condemns imprisonment of Chinese pastor Wang Yi, calls for his release: ‘We are alarmed’
The Trump administration has condemned the imprisonment of Wang Yi, pastor of one of China’s best-known unregistered house churches, calling it another example of ‘Beijing’s intensification of repression of Chinese Christians and members of other religious groups.’
Israel set to build advanced national communications satellite
Israel’s major aerospace and aviation manufacturer will develop and manufacture a national communications satellite that is expected to serve the country’s needs for at least 15 years.
US kills powerful Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad airstrike
Qassem Soleimani, the powerful head of Iran’s Quds Force, was killed in an airstrike at Baghdad International Airport, Iraqi TV and three Iraqi officials said Friday.
Earliest Christian church in sub-Saharan Africa discovered in Ethiopia
Researchers have discovered what is thought to be the oldest church in sub-Saharan Africa in Ethiopia, allowing scholars to now reliably date the spread of Christianity to the continent to the Constantinian era.
Police in Hong Kong arrest hundreds on New Year’s Day
Hong Kong police arrested 400 people on New Year’s Day after what began as a peaceful protest deteriorated into protestors forming human chains and passing bricks to each other, police firing on them with tear gas.
Christians in India dragged to jail and charged with illegal medicine for healing prayers
Christians in central India accused of illegally practicing medicine spent Christmas Eve and Christmas in jail, later discovering that the charges against them applied to prayers for healing in which they had engaged.
Chinese Christians on the mainland punished for Hong Kong protests
Officials in China are extremely threatened by the involvement of Christians in recent mass protests in Hong Kong, with many churches on the mainland pinned for supposed extremism in recent months for their association with Christians in the Special Administrative Region.
Wildfires destroy hundreds of homes, cause thousands to flee in Australia in one week
Wildfires sweeping through Australia have caused thousands to flee and burned 381 homes to the ground in the last week, with officials not expecting the fires to let up until significant rainfalls come in a few months.
Iran militia in Iraq vows to legislate U.S. out of the country
The Iranian militia group Kataeb Hezbollah vowed to seek the expulsion of U.S. troops from Iraqi territory Thursday through legal channels after protests manufactured by Iran wreaked havoc on the U.S. embassy earlier in the week.
Esper promises to pre-emptively strike Iran if U.S. receives intelligence of impending attacks
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday that the U.S. was anticipating more attacks from Iran following an assault on the American embassy Tuesday that caused serious damage, promising to pre-emptively strike the Islamic Republic if reliable intelligence of a forthcoming attack surfaced.
Israel moving towards ‘calm’ agreement with Hamas
Israel made progress toward a ceasefire agreement with Hamas in Gaza, in a two-hour meeting on Wednesday that ended without a vote.
Surge of IS Violence Seen in Syria
Islamic State militants have increased their terror activity in recent weeks in Syria, carrying out deadly attacks against Syrian regime troops and U.S.-backed forces.
Hundreds of Counties Across America Have Declared Themselves ‘2nd Amendment Sanctuaries’
Hundreds of local counties, cities, and towns across America are declaring themselves ‘Second Amendment sanctuaries’ or ‘constitutional counties’ as part of an ever-expanding movement over the past few years that has surprised even those who enacted the sanctuary resolutions in the first place.
Annual poverty report reveals 841,000 children in Israel live in poverty
The poverty rate in Israel has grown by a percent over the last year – with a bigger increase in the number of children under the line of poverty, according to the poverty report for 2018 published by the National Insurance Institute of Israel (NII) on Tuesday.
FBI data underscores rising threat to places of worship
When a machete-wielding attacker walked into a rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York, during Hanukkah and a gunman fired on worshipers at a Texas church 14 hours later, the two congregations in different regions of the country joined a growing list of faith communities that have come under attack in the US.
IDF unveils first-of-its-kind unit unifying pilots, tank drivers and more
The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday created a new type of combat unit bringing together infantry, tanks, combat engineering and air power to serve as a proving ground for new fighting techniques and tactics.
China intends to exercise total control over religion beginning February 2020
China will roll out new measures to further circumscribe the spiritual activities of its citizens on February 1st in the New Year, as state news reported Monday that the 42 articles of the Administrative Measures for Religious Groups had been approved.
More Roman Catholic sexual abuse history comes to light in Charlotte, North Carolina
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte released a list of 14 clergy Monday it said had been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors since its founding in 1972, including the names of six other clergy who had been credibly accused before the diocese’s founding, and 23 men who had been caught outside its jurisdiction.